tagaytay

All posts tagged tagaytay

whenever we are in need of a quick getaway from work and other stress, we always opt for a tagaytay staycation. and one of our favorite places to stay in is t house.

we have been going to this place way back 2007. we used to avail of their set dinner which included 2 choices of soup (served in cute shot glasses), a salad, an entree, dessert and drinks. this is no longer being offered.

almost once a year, we have an overnight stay in this very cozy bread and breakfast place. here are some of our stays:

december 2010

a preggy me

goodnight tea + cookies

february 2012

hubby, little boy and i

rose petals on the bed

something for valentine’s

we have been frequenting the place, that most of the staff already recognizes us. 😉

last june, in celebration of their 7th year annivesary, they had a promo where you only had to add php 7.00 on top of your room rate and you will get a set meal for two and a massage for two. we decided to have this as our post father’s day celebration.

upon checking in, we were informed by the front desk that there was some kind of conference that was going on and they were occupying the regular rooms (which we always book). because of this, we were upgraded to stay in a suite, free of charge. 😀

our suite

aside from having a very large room space, there was also a sofa. in the bathroom we had the usual toilet and bath area plus a bath tub where the little boy enjoyed taking a bath. t house also now has a swimming pool but we haven’t had checked it out yet.

here is the set menu which was included in the promo. we availed it during dinner of our first day.

anniversary set menu

drink – not sure but some kind of four seasons blend

caesar salad with shaved parmesan and honey bbq chicken

grilled mahi-mahi, skewered vegetables in lemon butter sauce

slow roast pork in grilled ginger pineapple

croissant butter pudding

breakfast is always included in the room rate and you get to choose from a wide range of items available. i usually go for the spanish-style tawilis, but unfortunately it was not available that time. also included are bread basket with butter, seasonal fruits and your choice of coffee or fresh juice.

beef tapa

corned beef

one the things i look forward to, in all of our stays at t house, is the goodnight tea. they deliver to your room an herbal tea together with some pastries. 🙂

goodnight tea + mini chocolate cupcakes

the massage included in the promo is also good. the therapists are very good in kneading out the stress in our bodies and i felt very relaxed thereafter.

another thing that i like about t house is their set of green tea + honey toiletries which they source locally from ilog maria. i just love the refreshing smell of it.

if you are looking for a place to unwind, with nice surroundings and good food, t house is definitely worth checking out.

for this year’s holy week break, the family went a little bit south. our destination: golden sunset village resort & spa.

golden sunset is a resort owned by ricky reyes. it is located at calatagan, batangas. from it’s website:

Golden Sunset is one of the country’s premiere resort, just a two-and-a-half-hour drive south of Metro Manila. Located in the historic town of Calatagan, Batangas, it is fast becoming the destination for vacationers and beachgoers alike. Golden Sunset has something for every member of your family: a Serendipity Spa where you can relax and unwind, an aviary (Birds de Paradiso) where your kids can learn more about birds and various restaurants where your whole family can wine and dine to different types of cuisines. Finally, the vacation you and your family truly deserve!

Golden Sunset offers to its guests the perfect mix of breathtaking natural features, world-class amenities, relaxing yet exciting leisure activities and excellent service from a courteous and well-trained staff: all the ingredients of a relaxing and memorable vacation in one destination! Take a stoll along our sandy boardwalk, swim in our crystal clear waters or simply marvel at the beauty of our golden sunset.

there are a lot of activities that you can do inside the resort. the only downside is that they have no actual beach area where you can swim. there is just some sort of shore. most of the waters in calatagan are like these — they are either rocky or they serve as fishpens.

they are not that strict with the bringing in of food and snacks. there are several restaurants that serve food inside the resort. you cannot use cash inside the resort for purchases. you will actually be issued a “passport” which will be loaded with a certain amount of credits based on how much the guest wants, and that is what will be used.

the front desk

we got one deluxe room and one superior room. each room has one double bed, and two double beds. a mini living room with television, private toilet and bath, and an attic with extra provision for beddings. the room was ok, a little bit outdated and some of the facilities and fixtures need updating. also, the aircon wasn’t enough to cool the entire room on a hot summer day. the television didn’t have cable, and the reception from the antenna was bad.

pink jeepneys

to go around the property, you can walk, or you can ride one of these pink electric jeepneys driven by the resort’s staff. these are what you ride with your things from the front desk to the cottages/rooms that you have rented.

cultural show

there is a teaser of the cultural show during noontime. what we witnessed is a short number of hawaiian/hula dances. there is a full length cultural show at night, around 8pm.

swimming pool slide

there are a lot of pools around the are, but the rooms were near the main pool. these are two adjacent pools. one is from 4ft – 6ft, with the 2-level slide. next to it is a more shallow pool where my son enjoyed walking around in. it also featured massage beds with rainfall showers that massage your whole body.

the golden sunset

we strived to capture this scenery. the golden sunset from which the resort’s name came from. it is indeed beautiful to look at.

around the property

row of rooms for rent

we had dinner at one of the restaurants which serve traditionall filipino food. we had adobo, bulalo, fried fish and liempo. after dinner and watching the cultural show (which also required some audience participation), we walked around the property.

rawr!

the next day, we explored the “mini zoo” and the aviary. the little boy took a lot of pictures with the different animals – both alive and statues. we also went inside a pigeon/dove sanctuary where we saw lots of these species of birds, and even saw some eggs.

albino peacock

indian peacock

one of the highlights that we saw were the peacock. we had to wait for a while before these birds showed their beautiful plumage. it was indeed a treat.

after we checked out of the resort, since we took the tagaytay route, we stopped by one of the restaurants to have our late lunch of bulalo and tawilis. and then we proceeded to sky ranch where we spent the rest of the day.

the sky eye

sky rider

of the rides available, we tried the sky eye together with hubby and the little boy. and of course, i couldn’t resist trying out the sky rider, which is their 300m long zipline.

after other rides and some snacks, we called it a day and went back home.

whenever we have the time and budget, we always do a quick getaway somewhere to recharge and refresh. it usually coincides if we are celebrating something like birthdays or anniversaries. tagaytay is one of our go to places since it is just an hour drive from us.

using a voucher that was purchased through ensogo (now living social – one of the online group buying sites), we decided to head to Lee Boutique Hotel for our anniversary weekend last 2012.

from their website:

Lee Boutique Hotel, the city’s first Euro-Asian fusion hotel, provides lodging in the heart of the city. It features large guestrooms and suites, as well as a viewing deck where one can catch a breathtaking scene of Taal Volcano.

the voucher was worth php 3000.00 which included a 2d/1n stay in a superior room plus breakfast.

the bathroom

bed

mini living area

the room was nice. it was quite spacious that it even has a small living area with a sofa and a small dining area which could seat 2 persons. the wall paintings and room decor was also tasteful. the bathroom has a bathtub with shower and complete set of toiletries were also provided.

the boutique has an in-house restaurant called oui drink tea eat rice located at the basement. based from our stay, this is where the improvements should be made. since the location is in the basement, the atmosphere seems a little sad especially when there are not too many people. you will also have a hard time calling for a waiter since they are not always around. the food is mediocre. you can find better food somewhere else. for convenience, we had our dinner here during our first night, and we were not satisfied (as you can prove with the lack of pictures).

filipino breakfast – longanissa

american breakfast – bacon and toast

for the complimentary breakfast, hubby got the filipino breakfast of longanissa and i got the american breakfast of bacon and toast. as you can see in the picture, the serving was quite small and it looks unappetizing. the meals come with a cup of coffee which was instant.

overall, i would say that the service and the room was alright, but it was with the food that i have some reservations.

since our stay here was more than a year ago, i really hoped that there have already been some improvements most especially with the food so that more people will be encouraged to stay here as they will no longer to go outside to look for a restaurant to eat at. most especially, the complimentary breakfast could be a deal breaker. as we all know, most b&bs and hotels offer breakfast with their accommodation so this could be a deal breaker if the food served is unsatisfying.

on our way home from one of our tagaytay trips, we decided to have lunch at gourmet’s the dining room. going down the driveway, you will see a santorini-inspired structure. opening the big doors, and taking in the view of the white, clean and chic interiors, you know that you are in for a treat.

the restaurant boasts of italian/mediterranean cuisine with most of its ingredients sourced from gourmet’s own farm.

the dining room

there was a salad station available inside but we did not avail of that. instead we ordered three different items from the menu.

baked salmon – php 330.00

baked salmon – oven baked salmon fillet with mashed potato and sauteed spinach. this was junjun’s order. the salmon was baked perfectly and was flavorful. the mashed potato also complimented the fish.

tuna sandwich – php 250.00

tuna sandwich – bougette tuna filling, tomato, lettuce and cucumber. this was an order for matteo. the sandwich was filling and it could be easily a meal in itself. what i loved are the veggie chips (made of malunggay i think) which accompanied the sandwich. it is great alternative instead of the usual potato chips.

the dining room special – php 580.00

the dining room special – coffee and spice rubbed ribeye or tenderloin fillet with mashed potato. this was my order. there is also a side salad that accompanied this. i had my steak done medium well. i liked how the steak was flavored and it was tender that i did not have a hard time cutting the meat.

we also ordered the dalandan juice and ripe mango shake for Php 85.00 each.

for its price, i would say the taste and serving of the food was worth the peso paid. the ambience of the restaurant is also a plus. the waiter and other staff were also attentive and was very helpful.

i would like to go back to this resto again to try more of their offerings. 😀

After our lunch in Buon Giorno, we decided to try the newly opened frozen yogurt shop in cliff house. It’s name… Fling.

According to their flyer: Fling only uses fresh yogurt that’s made from a local farm unlike others who use processed, powdered stuff. So not only are you getting something yummier and healthier, you’re also helping local farmers.

Most of the fruit toppings are also sourced locally. Toppings vary from fruits, chocolate sauce, mango sauce, cookies, granola, etc

What I ordered was a casual-sized yogurt with mango sauce and kiwi. The yogurt was smooth and creamy. The mango sauce was not too sweet which was good, and the kiwi provided an additional tang.

The combination of the toppings I got was nice, and I really liked it. Although, it was a little pricey. It was Php 85.00 for the yogurt, and additional Php 25.00 for each of the topping. My total bill was at Php 135.00